Variety Pack
by PhoenixLyric
Summary: Various pairings, ideas, and situations. Rated T for safety. Characters from the manga, games, and anime. Now Rolling: Chapter Six: Summer and Ben- Summer's thoughts on how she and Ben met back in the days of green stylers and dress codes. Previously- Chapter Five: Beginning of Something New- Rosa's thoughts on her first Gym battle.
1. One: Ferris Wheel

_**Welcome to my first Pokémon one-shot, featuring one of my favorite pairings, which is ToukoXN, also known as FerrisWheelShipping. This is set after BW but before B2W2. Enjoy the fluffiness!**_

* * *

I looked to the sky and watched Zekrom fly away from the entry of the castle. N was beaten, Ghetesis was defeated. And I was broken hearted. I, being the stupid lovesick teenager I am, have fallen in love with the boy currently flying to his freedom, the boy that became my sworn enemy. I did the only thing I could think of at the moment. I sank to the ground, surrounded by my team, and I cried. Eventually, the gym leaders, Elite Four, and Champion Alder caught up with me and saw the devastation in the room we fought in. I got up, dried my eyes, and greeted my friends, who congratulated me on my triumph over Unova's biggest threat.

But my heart wasn't in it.

* * *

Two years have passed, and N still crosses my mind every day. When he told me he was the King of Team Plasma at the Ferris Wheel in Nimbasa, I cried after he left. I miss the way his uniquely colored hair flew out in the strong winds created by the amusement park, I miss the way his unfathomable green eyes glinted in the afternoon sun, I even miss his stupid riddles, the way he says my name. I can still hear it in my dreams.

_Touko.._.

So why do I always end up at the Ferris Wheel every time I visit this part of the region, knowing he won't come back for me the way I've dreamed about?

I hate this stupid Ferris Wheel.

I find myself sitting at the front steps in the early morning sun, Reshiram out of its Pokéball and standing beside me. My ponytail drifts lazily in the breeze, and I'm grateful for the cap that I was given my my mother two and a half years ago today. My brown leather jacket shields me from the wind, and I'm still wearing my signature white tank top and my combat boots. I'm the current Champion, alongside Alder. He finally settled down enough to where he can stay in one place without feeling like he will go insane. I smile at that.

_I love him. I truly love him,_ I think.

Reshiram lifts its beautiful white head and looks me directly in the eyes. Its ice blue eyes seem to drill into my soul.

"You do know the old saying about love, correct?" it asks.

I nod. "Yes. And it makes me want to sob whenever I think about it."

Reshiram snorts in amusement. "There is truth in everything. Things we lose always have a way of coming back to us when we need them most. You almost lost your will to fight when you faced the power of the Elite Four for the first time, yet your regained your courage when you stood in front of N and Ghetesis, did you not?"

I nod hesitantly. "Your point?"

"You believe that you lost N. He will come back," it replies briefly. I get the feeling that the case is closed, so I just sit and wait while fidgeting with my Xtransceiver.

I release Serperior from her Pokéball and she curls around me. "Morning," she announces sleepily. Communicating with Reshiram opened my heart to the truth that all Pokémon speak, so I can understand them now. It's quite something, and I remember nearly fainting when I understood my Unfeazant for the first time.

"Moping about N again?" she asks. I push her playfully and she snickers. My Serperior, nicknamed Ivy, knows me way too well. "Face it, Reshi here is right. He'll come back when he's ready to. Give him more time."

Reshiram shoots a glare at Ivy. "I intensely dislike that nickname." Ivy groans. "Whatever, Reshi."

I laugh, something I haven't done in a very long time. Once I start, I can't stop, and soon I'm giggling uncontrollably, and Ivy and Reshiram are smiling. I know it makes them happy to see me happy.

"I've missed that laugh, Touko," I hear a voice say. _It couldn't be..._

I turn around, and a familiar face framed by tea green bangs under a black and white cap with a Rubik's Cube attached through a belt loop faces me.

"N!" I shriek, and I jump up into his arms. He laughs as he spins me around in a circle, and for once, I cry tears of happiness instead of despair.

He sets me down and he wipes a tear from my cheek. "I thought you were happy?" he says.

"I am," I reply. I point to the tracks left down my cheek. "These are from happiness." He seems to have grown at least three inches while he was away. His Zekrom lands next to Reshiram, and the two are exchanging a non-verbal conversation.

I rest my head on his shoulder, and he wraps me in a hug. I sigh, and he rubs that tiny spot on my shoulder that is always tense. We pull away, and we hold hands as we walk back to the ferris wheel.

"Want to ride?" he asks. I nod eagerly, and he leads me inside. Ivy, Reshiram, and Zekrom wait for us outside. We enter the car and as it rises, we move in closer to each other.

"Touko, do you want to know something?" he says. I nod.

"I left because I thought I needed to look for a part of me that was missing. After I left Plasma, I thought that I would find it in another region. I went and explored Hoenn for a little bit, but I made it to a very deserted yet beautiful part of Kanto and met Misty, a Gym Leader. She said that she always went there to think, and I looked like I needed to get something off my mind. I explained why I left, and she just looked at me."

"And?" I respond.

"I figured out that the part of me that was missing was you," he replies. And he leans in and presses his lips to mine, and I can feel the sparks fly between us as the wheel lifts ever higher into the air.

I've always loved this Ferris Wheel.


	2. Two: Oración

_Written in Ash's POV during the climax of __**The Rise of Darkrai. **I own nothing. PearlShipping if you tilt your head and squint! Ash may be a little OOC, because I made him smarter. ^^ This also contains major spoilers from the tenth movie, so if you haven't seen it yet, DON'T READ!_

* * *

I was straining to hold onto Dawn's thin hand as the tower threatened to dissolve out from under me. I knew something was about to go horribly, horribly wrong.

I didn't want to see the body of one of my closest friends lying at an awkward angle on the ground, so I took both my hands off of the edge of the railing and practically ViceGripped her hand with my own.

That was a mistake. I compromised my position, you see, and we both tumbled out of the tower, Pikachu screaming my name in his own language. To be honest, I thought I was dead. I thought I was a goner. It was a good thing that Buizel was still out of his Pokéball, because a water gun came out of nowhere and shot us back onto the roof.

I steadied Dawn back on her feet and nodded my welcome at the look of pure gratitude that she carried in her dark blue eyes. I turned around and faced the towers after releasing my hand from hers.

_Come on! Find the disc! We need a miracle!_

The stairs that Dawn and I had climbed up were completely gone, so we ran, jumped, and clambered across the rooftops to get to the place where our one last hope resided.

Dawn, Pikachu, Pachirisu, the rest of our Pokémon, and I had just barely made it to the connecting point of the towers when the structure itself started to dissolve.

We searched everywhere for the one disc that could save us all. Dawn found it, the image depicting a girl sitting in a tree playing on a leaf, just as Alice and Tonio ran up the last of the staircase. We lugged it over to the music player, and Dawn slammed her hand down on the lever that was supposed to raise the protective cover.

No use. It was jammed, and worse, out of power. We somehow managed to put the disc in the proper spot. Someone pulled the starting lever. It didn't start.

Pachurisu and Pikachu thunderbolted and discharged the entire machine as hard as they possibly could. It remained silent.

_It's not going to work. We're all gonna die here. And there's nothing I can do about it._

As I thought that, I heard the mechanisms inside the towers moving, and a song started to resonate through the sounds of Dialga and Palkia's battle, the one that claimed the life of Darkrai. Both of them stopped charging their respective attacks.

I recognized the tune as the same one that Alice played on her leaf in the garden yesterday, before the Baron, his Lickylicky, and Darkrai showed up here in Alamos Town.

As the music swelled, I felt a sense of hope rise up within despite the horrible sights and sounds of the battle behind me. Slowly, the fight calmed, the two Legendaries inclining their heads towards the source of the sound, their attacks vanishing into nowhere. The towers stopped dissolving, and started to glow a beautiful gold, with arcs of light extending from random points. A few yellow flowers popped into existence outside the windows, and suddenly the light flared as the song reached its climax.

The only thing I could think of was how much Darkrai would've liked to have seen this.

Dialga vanished back into its own dimension, and Palkia seemed to read our minds as we wished for the town to be restored to normal. The fog lifted as the streets came back into view, homes appeared from thin air, and the garden was returned to its previous beautiful state. I looked around the room and saw tears on Alice's face. Tonio, Dawn, and Brock- who had joined us while the tower was playing the song- were standing a little off to the side, shellshocked.

* * *

Sunset. It should have been one of the most beautiful ones in the world, but tonight the colors were painted with grief. Alice seemed especially sad as she cried into her sleeve. She had been the closest to the Darkrai that sacrificed itself to save us. I couldn't help it. Tears flowed freely from my eyes.

The same Darkrai that sent me into the Dark Void to warn me about what was to happen. The same Darkrai that managed to elude an entire village of people who wanted to banish him. The same Darkrai that outwitted that dimwit Baron and his Lickylicky. The tears came faster as I laughed mentally at the image of the Baron as his normal-type Pokémon.

I didn't care. I didn't care that I was crying enough to be mistaken for a hormonal teenaged girl. I didn't care.

I looked off into the distance as I felt the familiar weight of Pikachu on my shoulder return. There was something _off_ about the highlights and shadows on the cliff. I rubbed my blurry eyes to make sure I wasn't hallucinating, and turned my neck to see what was causing the disturbance.

Darkrai. He was sitting on top of the tower dedicated to Palkia. He was alive and well.

My tears turned from sadness to joy, and I felt the song called Oración play through my heart.

* * *

We left the next day. I saw Tonio step closer to Alice. I always knew they'd end up together. I smile as Brock, Dawn, and I wave and leave off a formerly fog-covered path.

Oración. Peace stay with you, Alamos Town. I know that a piece of my heart will remain here.


	3. Three: Misty's Musings

_**(A/N): A short little drabble involving my favorite anime pairing- Ash and Misty! Heavily implied Pokèshipping, also known as AAML. Disclaimer: I don't own Misty's stubbornness.**_

* * *

Misty sighed as she sat down on the front steps of her Gym. The League-sponsored program had just run its last challenge of the day, which was a young boy who reminded her of someone she missed dearly. He even made the same rudimentary battle choices that he did. The only thing missing was the Pikachu on his shoulder, and he would've been nearly a dead ringer of her old traveling partner.

Ash.

It had been three months since she had last seen him over a video call- he had just been leaving for another distant region when she called on his birthday. They caught up, and she promised to make it to Pallet Town for his sixteenth birthday-not only to celebrate his sixteen years on Earth, but to reminisce on the six years they'd known each other.

Honestly, when she first met him, she thought he was an obnoxious little brat. And he was- in addition to being cocky, over-ambitious, snarky...

She grinned as she pictured pulling a soaking wet Ash out of the river that day with her trusty lure, thinking he was a new undiscovered water Pokémon.

It was the same lure that she had given him as a good luck charm before he left for Hoenn.

He started growing on her while they traveled through the Orange Islands- seeing him freak out when Rudy showed that much interest in her was entertaining.

She started crushing on him in Johto, right after Charizard started obeying him and seeing that his instructions for battle weren't all that bad. Watching the boy pull an all-nighter caring for the dying dragon at the cost of his own blood was heart-wrenching. His dedication and the love he showed that disobedient fire lizard astounded her. No way that was the boy she pulled from the water-

he was growing up, maturing- into someone she knew would be a perfect other half.

And then her sisters called and ruined her streak. She had planned to go to Hoenn with him and Brock, the ever-persistent womanizer- when her stupid sisters announced their 'World Tour'. Yeah, she was happy for them, but she wasn't too keen on staying behind.

She fell in love with him as he walked away.

She leaned back on the steps and closed her eyes, enjoying the crisp breeze that signaled the coming of autumn.

She had waited this long to sort out how she felt for him, and she was too late. He had written a letter, mailed from a Pokémon center before his adventures in the Unova region's Pokémon League- describing his adventures with his new friends- Cilan, who seemed like a politer and less perverted version of Brock, and Iris, whose hair was bushy enough to conceal several Pokémon and the girl who loved to swing through trees and climb mountains. There were new rivals- Trip and Georgia and Stephen, new gym leaders, new Pokémon...

She had watched all his battles. She had to extend her cable package to get the Unova battles, and he fought like a champion. He placed second out of seventy four, a huge accomplishment for one so young.

She missed the days where it was just her, Brock, Gary, Ritchie, and Ash- they were simpler, easier to remember. But she knew that he would be even closer to achieving his goal of becoming a Pokémon Master when he came back. He'd be smarter- she snorted in surprise at her last thought- well, somewhat. He'd still be the incredibly dense Ketchum that she'd grown to love over the past years.

Oh, she had tried to tell him she loved him- but she froze up every time. Somehow those dark amber eyes seemed to know what made her feel awkward, and the brain hidden underneath a mop of untamed raven hair carried out his awkward actions.

Misty sighed. She'd waited all these years to confess her feelings for him. She didn't mind waiting a little longer, until he came back.

She watched the streets, and saw a familiar little face dashing to meet her.

She was tackled by a ketchup-loving electric mouse. His trainer stood a little distance away.

Misty didn't have to wait any longer.


	4. Four: Henceforth to Oblivia

_**(A/N): Hello, everyone, and welcome to the fourth oneshot in the Variety Pack! I noticed that there are practically no fics about Guardian Signs, so I thought I'd give it a try. Disclaimer: I don't own Ukelele Pichu's tiny ukekele. Enjoy! **_

* * *

The girl breathed a sigh of relief as Latias flew away, safe for the moment, but stopped short as a man with red eyes flew up on a hovercraft, threatening the two of them. She heard Ben screaming her name as she took the deafening blast meant for him. She didn't know what was happening. All she knew was that there had been an interference in her and Ben's mission to Oblivia. A man in red clothes was going to shoot her fellow Ranger and best friend out of the sky, and she took the blast for him. It wasn't until she was catapulting towards the ocean that she thought _maybe this wasn't the best idea in the world..._

She glanced over at her Staraptor, and noticed that she was still unconscious. She called upon her styler to see if there was any hope of a water Pokémon below her. Nada. She grabbed her oxygen filtrator from her back pocket, slipped her goggles on over her light brown eyes, and prepared for impact. The icy Oblivian ocean nearly took the breath out of her.

However, the impact managed to break her styler off her wrist and send it towards the ocean floor. A tiny little Mantyke picked it up, curiosity shining in its black beady eyes. It dove off towards the ocean floor. The poor girl, drenched and exhausted, had no choice but to follow it.

Fifteen billion bubble attacks later, and she had finally convinced the Mantyke to drop the styler on some sort of hexagonal ruin resting on the ocean floor. She picked it up and reattached it onto her right wrist. Good. She felt empty without it. The click as the plastic reformed around her wrist was comforting, letting her know that she could still find a way out of this.

A loud whirring noise caught her attention. She whipped her head around to find a massive submarine floating along, creating a massive undercurrent. She fought it for a little, but soon unconditionally surrendered into the rush of the ocean, losing consciousness as she was whisked away.

She woke with a scream on something... sandy? She opened her eyes and found that she was lying on a beach, her toes just barely out of the water. She looked around instinctively for any wild Pokémon available for a capture, but found none. Odd.

"Styler? Location, please."

The device crackled. "Located on

Dolce Island in the Oblivia region. Water damage in the memory card. Water damage in in in thhhhhhhhhhhh..."

She sighed and turned the device off. She'd have to find the one Ranger stationed here and ask him to fix it for her.

She picked herself up, groaning at the amount of sand in places sand should never be, and explored her surroundings. There was a simple path, and she decided to follow it. It led to a branching point in the middle of a somewhat dense forest. She saw her first Pokémon there- a Pichu, with something strapped to its back. It turned around and she managed to get a closer look at the object on the electric rodent's back. It was a... ukelele? She rubbed her eyes and looked again. Yep, the miniature blue guitar was still there. Why would a Pokémon need one?

Her question was answered by the little one's next actions. He slung the ukelele into a playing position, and channeled a small bit of electricity into it, producing a happy little time that made the Pokémon Ranger smile. The Pichu glanced around warily, and played the tune again.

She accidentally stepped on a branch, and it snapped with a loud crack.

"Picha?" the little one asked. Its pink cheeks sparked with electricity, and it fearlessly charged the Ranger.

"Capture on!" she yelled. A disc launched from her styler, and a glowing blue stick emerged from the casing of the device. Her first capture outside of Ranger school went beautifully- no loops lost. The circles enclosed around the Pichu, and it took a sigh of relief.

"Pi picha!" he announced, hugging the girl's leg.

"Capture complete," she whispered. "Shall we find a way out of here?"

The Pichu nodded, and led the way down another path to- coincidentally- another beach, where an older man with white hair and a shirt printed with flowers was working on a boat.

The man eyed her warily. "What's a youngun like you doing on an uninhibited island like this? And what's with those strange clothes?"

She told him her story- how she and a friend had been transferred to the Oblivia Region on Ranger duties, how she took the blast for Ben, how she woke up on this island, and her encounter with the Ukelele Pichu.

"Thought you were a Ranger. I do remember Rand sayin somethin about two new Rangers heading our way. I'm Booker. What's your name, missy?"

She swallowed. "My name is Summer."

"Well, Summer, let's get you to the main island, and we'll go from there."

Maybe I'll find Ben on Renbow Island, or possibly a way to contact the HQ, she thought.

She climbed into Booker's boat, followed by her new partner, Ukelele Pichu, and the three of them set off for Renbow Island.

Little did they know that the future Hero of Oblivia was sitting in the boat, holding a waterlogged styler and wringing salt water out of her hair.


	5. Five: Beginning of Something New

_**Cute and short little drabble about Rosa's first gym battle. R&R, and don't forget to vote in the poll on my profile! -PL**_

* * *

Rosa stared at the building that she had just left, a new badge case in her hand. She opened the pink and black containment unit to place the Basic Badge inside of it, grinning when it fit perfectly into the first slot. She released her Snivy, Hyacinth, and her Riolu, Anubis, and thanked them for their hard work and dedication. She returned them to their Pokéballs, and stared at the gym, the orange roof glinting happily in the afternoon sun. Not even two o'clock, and she had already beaten her first gym. What should she do now?

From the outside, it looked like any old Trainer's school. To foreigners, it was just a trainer's school until they looked at the sign. But once she was allowed to move into the second and third rooms, then things got interesting. She battled two of her old classmates who had gone on to be Cheren's protegees, and wiped the floor with them both. The battle with Cheren- now that got interesting. She remembered her pre-battle and battle with a smile.

_She started to ascend the podium, hands shaking and knees quivering, counting the steps up the stairs in a feeble attempt to calm herself down._

_One, two, three._

_Hyacinth and Anubis- please, be strong and be brave. Fight well, and show your strength, show the Leader the teamwork that brought us together._

_Four, five, six._

_Let's hope I don't have to use any of the potions that I bought._

_Seven, eight, nine._

_If I lose, then I'll come back and try again tomorrow. I have a strategy going in, but I'm not sure how it will play out. Battles are about learning how to go with the flow- sometimes you have to ditch the plan entirely._

_Ten, eleven, twelve._

_If I win, then I can go to Virbank and challenge Roxie. My world will seem indefinitely larger than it was when I was confined to just Aspertia._

_Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen._

_I can visit the underground music club, and Pokéstar Studios, and the port, and the complex..._

_Sixteen, seventeen... thump._

_Her foot hit the top of the podium with a muted thud, catching Cheren's attention. He turned around, revealing a classy tie, dress shirt, and slacks combo. He nodded once, smiled, and sent out a Patrat. Hyacinth had just a little bit of trouble with it, but she found a weakness by using Attract- while it was enamored, she shot a few Vine Whips at it. That Lillipup was another story. Who knew that a little thing like that could be such a pain in the butt? She didn't know what she would've done without Anubis- his Counter gave her a great advantage- and they were so close when Cheren tossed the little terrier a Potion. Anubis took a big hit after that- but he miraculously held on, and delivered a huge blow with Counter before passing out. Hyacinth took the stage again, and did her very best- just barely staying standing after Lillipup went down._

She watched the gym worker, Clyde, start engraving her name on the statuette outside of the gym.

Her name, Rosa White, would be there for eternity.

It was a nice feeling.

She turned her head towards the exit to her home city, feeling the call of the traveller. She loved Aspertia, with its skyscrapers, cobbled roads, and personalized mailboxes. She loved her house, her room, all of her possessions. She loved the weather when it got closer to winter, the way Hugh's little sister pranced up and down the streets. She adored her city... but it was time to move on to something else. The beginning of something new.


	6. Six: Summer and Ben

**_(A/N): GASP! An update- but a short one at that! Real life took over- I did very well on my finals, so now it's back to writing! I can't stay away from the Oblivia rangers... so enjoy!_**

* * *

When looking back on her ranger school days, Summer never expected that she'd end up becoming good friends with the most popular kid in her year.

She had to admit, she was extremely shy, even back then. She hid behind her thick rimmed glasses and feathery bangs, always absorbed in a book about mythology or ancient legends. When Ben transferred into her class, everything changed. He completely ignored the stereotypically popular kids that sat in the back of class, poking fun at everyone and never paying attention to the lessons. He plopped down in the empty desk next to her with a charming smile, and asked her name.

"My name is Summer," she whispered.

"I'm Ben- transferred here from Fiore. Where's your family?"

"Some in Hoenn, some in Sinnoh, and an estranged great-uncle in Unova."

He raised an eyebrow. "You've visited all of them, I guess?"

She shrugged. "They always came to us, in Orre."

They chatted a bit about her home region, and he didn't seem surprised when she stated why she wanted to be a ranger. He said that he always looked up to the Rangers, thought they were great role models.

They never looked back after that. He brought her out of her shell- she stopped hiding behind her glasses, started wearing contacts, and attempted to get over her shyness. It didn't always work, though, and he was still right there for her when the teasing started. He stuck up for her when she couldn't say a word.

They were so excited when they found out that they were the only pair from their graduating class that got to work together- and in a paradise like Oblivia, to boot. The second after their graduation, they took their stylers and flew off to meet Rand on Renbow Island.

Little did Summer know that she'd end up taking a supposedly-fatal ray blast for her best friend.


End file.
